The semiconductor industry is continuously moving toward the fabrication of smaller and more complex microelectronic components with higher performance. The production of smaller integrated circuits requires the development of smaller electronic components, and closer spacing of those electronic components within the integrated circuits. Some semiconductor devices include fins and finned field effect transistors (FinFETs). Manufacturing costs can be reduced by forming memory cells with fins when FinFETs are utilized, so the finned structure is common to the memory cells and the FinFETs. Traditionally, the memory cells are formed in a memory bank area of the integrated circuit, and FinFETs are formed in a logic area of the integrated circuit. However, traditional floating gate memory cells formed over the fin may fill most of the space between adjacent fins such that the remaining space between adjacent floating gates has a high aspect ratio. The high aspect ratios can lead to undesirable gaps formed in a control gate that is formed between adjacent floating gates, especially when the fins are spaced close together.
It is desirable to form memory cells on fins where the height of each memory cell is about the same as the height of FinFETs formed in a logic portion of the integrated circuit. The traditional floating gate tends to produce a taller structure for the memory cells than for the FinFETs. The different heights require additional masks and separate processing, which tends to increase production costs. In addition to the gate height issues, total memory capacity can be increased by utilizing two-bit memory cells as opposed to one-bit memory cells.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with finned memory cells where a control gate formed between adjacent fins has no gaps. In addition, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with two-bit finned memory cells having a height that extends only a short distance over the fins. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present embodiment will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.